Massaging apparatus



July 12,1927..

M. RTTGER-PELLI `MAS sAGING APPARATUS F'Iiled June 12. 1926 Patented I Julyv 12,v 1,927?.V i ,1

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This invention fj'elates to a massaging apparatus and consists 1n the provision of a casing .mounted rotatablyat the end of a handle and litted on its face with a plurality of projecting balls, means being provided for imparting rotation either to the casing relative to the handle or to the balls relative to the casing.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a vertical section of the apparatus, l y y Fig. 2, a front view of the same, and

Fig. 3, a side view on an enlarged scale of one of the ball supports. p

Y The apparatus is composed of a Circular casing a. which is rotatably mounted at the end of a handle (l. The casing has a face plate ZV through apertures inl which a plurality of balls b project so that they can ber Vused by means of the handleV for massaging purposes. Each ball is heldin a split, sock-g,

eted member c which is supported at the back by a center screw 7c and which rests by means of a bevelled bearing surface in a correspondingly shapedl aperture in the plate Z. When the screws le are loosely applied to the members 0, theV latter are capable of rotary motion, and when the screws aretightened up, the members' becomerclamped `to the face plate Z and the balls to the members c. The latter are grooved like pulleys, and a belt z' is sinuated about all the members for, rotating the latter.` f y lA driving shaft e is loosely fitted yin the handle d, and receives motion, through the medium of a flexible shaft m, from any suit-l ablehand,'foot or power driven motor. One` of the ball-supporting members is arranged in the center of the casing,- coaxially with th-e shaft e, and, instead of'being supported by a screw lr, is rotatably held by its baseV h in a recess inthe bottom of the casing. Thisy basehas asquare recess n 'adapted for en gagementwith a square heady at the end of the shaft e. The shaft has a second square head f which, in the position shown in Fig. l, engages a square "slot in Athecasing aso that the latter is coupled to the shaft,.the head gbeing out of engagementfwith the member L'. Whenthe shaft .e is axially displaced inv the handleso that the headV g' enters into engagement withsthe member L, the headf moves into around portion ofthek casing slot so that'th'e shaft becomes disengaged from the casing. vBy these means it is possible to impart rotation either to the lthe shaft is driven.

casing itself, in which case the balls remain more or less stationary yrelative to thecasing according to requirements, or tothe balls,

in which casethe casingremainsmore ol.1 less stationary. In' onevmstance a kneading effect' and 1n the other instance a`strol ing effect is obtained, the magnitude of the ,Y

treatment beingv modified bya regulation of the pressure and of the speed with which I claim 1. A `massaging apparatus comprising af handlea casing supported rotatably at one end of said handle, balls held in `said casing sc as to project through' the front face there-"V of, means for imparting rotation eitherto the balls relativ-e to the casing or to the casing relative to the handle, ball supports held f rotatably in said casing, a gearing control' ling said supports, and a driving shaft held rotatably and slidably in the handle, saidf: 'l

shaft being lformed with square heads which enablel it by axial` adjustment to be put into v i engagement either with thecasing for rotating the latter orrwith oneof the ball supports for rotating the balls. 2. massaging apparatus comprising a handle., a casing supported rotatably 'at one Vend of saidhandle, balls held in saidcasing.

so as to project-through thefront facethereof, means vfor imparting rotation either tol the balls relative tothe casing or to the cas-A ing relative to the handle, split, soclreted balli lsupporting members, said members being supported by means of their split and sock-,p

eted parts and by means of bevelled bearing surfaces in apertures in the frontrface of' f Y the casing, center screws supportingl thel members from behind so that the members and balls will either lbe held rotatably in the casing or clamped thereto by means of the screws, a gearing controlling thedifi'eryent members, a drivingl shaft held loosely in the handle, and Ameans vfor couplingv said yshaft either to the casing forrotating` the latteror to 4one of Vsaid mjembers'for rotat-v y ing the balls.V

3. A massaging vapparatuscomprising a l '105 Y end of said handle, balls held in said casing' v handle, a casing supported rotatably at one so as to proj-ectv through the yfront'face thereofm'eans for imparting rotation eitherv to the balls'relative to the casing or toithe casing relative to the handle, split, vsocketed ball-supporting members, said members be! ing supportedV by `means ofrtheir split and:

seeketed parts! Aand by" means of beveled bearing surfaces in aperturesy in the* front i face oi the Casing, center screws supporting Ythe members fromfbehind so that thememf bers and balls Will either be held rotatably in l the casing or clamped thereto by means of the screws, a belt carried sinuously about the members for driving the same, a drivlng shaft heldloosely in the handle, and means for' coupling said shaft either to the easing for rotating the latter or to one of said members for rotating the balls.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my i name to this specification. 

